Goat Cheese & Peporanata Crostini
I love an appetizer that has a lot of flavor and is easy to make. When entertaining at home, I tend to simplify my menus so I can enjoy my guests. These little crostinis are perfect for a crowd, and I can prepare everything ahead of time, and assemble at the last minute.
Simply slice baguettes, and brush with olive oil or melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice enough for each guest to have at least 2! Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until crispy-golden-brown. These can be made up to 1 day ahead. Be sure to store in an airtight container, once they are completely cooled.
Lightly oil red, orange or yellow peppers and grill or broil in the oven until blistering and black. Place in a bowl, tightly cover with plastic wrap and let them steam for 10 minutes. I would roast 1 pepper for every 10 crostinis, depending on size of pepper (any leftovers are great with your eggs in the a.m.).
Once peppers cool, peel the skin off and julienne. Mix peppers with a little drizzle of olive oil, chopped garlic and fresh chives or scallion and basil. You can use herbs, red onion or a little balsamic vinegar. Play with the flavors YOU like!
Shmear crostinis with your favorite soft cheese, I personally love goat cheese (Humboldt Fog), but cream cheese would work well too. Top with a few peppers and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with basil. Serve at room temperature.
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Think sweet potatoes are just for the holidays? Think again! We love sweet potatoes all year long. They are perfect on a week night, cut into wedges and tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper (you could spice it up with chili flakes or fresh herbs). Roast at 450 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Yum!
I am always surprised by how many people claim they don’t like sweet potatoes, and my response is “I don’t like mushy-overly sweet-topped with marshmallows-sweet potato concoction either”.
Here we have a twice baked sweet potato that is sweet, savory and smokey all at the same time. We roasted them in the oven at 375 for about an hour (depends on size) and scooped out the insides. We then added butter, bacon, caramelized onions, salt, pepper and Chipotle Powder to the potatoes. Mix well, and scoop the potato mix back into the shells. Now it gets interesting….I found some left over Apple Crisp topping that I had made a month or so ago in the freezer, and topped the potatoes with it. My lucky day! It worked beautifully. Oh, I also had spicy pepitas, so I threw those on too, then I found some candied pecans for a nice garnish. The best way to cook is use up what you have, be creative. Remeber the Bacon Jam? I folded some of that into the potatoes too. 
Housemade Olive Oil & Herb Crackers
There is something to be said about making your own crackers. A few simple ingredients make these little crunchy munchies worth the effort.
Bacon Jam…Spicy, smokey, sweet & heavenly!
Okay, we admit it…we are obsessed with bacon! I mean really, isn’t everything better with bacon? Burgers? Yep. Soup? Yes! The best part of a BLT is the B!
I found a recipe for bacon jam, and just had to try it. Oh. My. God. This stuff is wonderful! It is great simply shmeared on little crostinis. It was spicy, sweet, smokey and bacony all at once. Hmmm….I think it will also be tasty spread on little goat cheese, or sharp cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches.
Spring Asparagus Gallette
Spring has Sprung! These yummy Asparagus Gallettes are so easy, and sooo delicious! Simply cut puff pastry sheets to 4X5 inch rectangles (give or take, this is a “rustic” appetizer) Shmear with ricotta cheese flavored with choice of fresh garlic, roasted garlic, fresh herbs, parmesan, lemon zest and cracked pepper and sea salt….whatever you have on hand! Top with fresh asparagus. Be sure to leave at least a 1/4 inch border around edges for the “crust”. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until nice and golden brown. Drizzle with good Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
This is great with a nice Spring salad for a light supper. Enjoy!
Cake Lollipops…Is the cupcake dead?
A big trend right now are cake “lollipops” or “cake pops”. They are tiny, cute, fun and tasty!
Will the cupcake survive this trend? Will “cake pop” stores start popping up all over the midwest? Will there be lollipop wars? I doubt it, but I think they will be around for a while.
Triple Cream Brie, Honey & Cracked Pepper Crostinis
These yummy appetizers are so easy and delicious, you will comeback to this recipe time and again!
You will need a nice french baguette, melted butter, triple cream brie, honey and freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt.
Slice the baguette, on a bias, about a half centimeter in thickness. Cut about 3-4 slices per person. Brush baguette with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Crostini can be prepared a day in advance.
Spread brie on crostinis, about 2 tsp. each. Bake in 350 degree oven for 4-5 minutes, on parchment lined sheet pans. Brie will be melted and lightly runny, let cool to room temperature.
To serve: Place crostini on platters, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cracked pepper.
This appetizer is awesome with a nice, crisp white wine. Sancerre or Sauvignon Blanc work beautifully.
Tamarind Barbeque Chicken with Thai Basil Puree in Savory Cones
While on a trip to New York, we experienced a fantastic little appetizer… Tamarind Barbeque Chicken with Thai Basil Puree in Savory Cones. I immediately began working on replicating the flavors.
I roasted a whole, organic, free-range chicken and pulled all the meat from the bone (I then started to prepared chicken stock with the bones, no canned stock for us, thank you!).
For the tamarind barbeque sauce, I mixed tamarind paste with honey, chile garlic paste, cilantro, garlic, hoisin, ginger and chives. Turned out sweet and tangy all at once.
The thai basil puree is pretty simple, basil, garlic, scallion and parsley pureed with a little canola, lime zest and salt.
An easy way to serve this appetizer, would be to fry wontons, top it with the chicken,drizzle with a little basil puree and top it with either a cilantro sprig or fresh chives.
One of the best things about being a caterer is playing with our food! We are going to be experimenting this week with cake “lollipops”. We are catering an event for Children’s Mercy Hospital, and thought they would be whimsical and cheery. We’ll keep you posted.
Spring!
Spring is so close you can almost taste it! I am looking forward to the local farmer’s markets opening back up, and meandering through all of the produce, flowers and baked goods.
Spring to me means vegetables! Asparagus, artichokes, turnips, peas (I absolutely love Minted Spring Pea Soup) spring onions and morels. Love those morels! Sauteed in butter and white wine, banked alongside creamy polenta…mmmmm.
Happy Spring everyone, we’d love to hear about your favorite vegetable ideas.
Dinner Party
We hosted a dinner for a local men’s group, this week. They are great clients, and trust us to create a menu that is suitable for “manly men” but, please don’t forget the sweets, thank you very much!
We served….
Cocktail Hour:
Bleu Cheese & Caramelized Onion dip with Kettle Chips
Sweet & Spicy Pecans
Dinner:
Romaine Salad with Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing & Garlic Croutons
Oven Roasted Vegetables, including Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes, Red Onions & Cherry Tomatoes with EVOO and Fresh Herbs
Rosemary & Garlic rubbed Pork Loin with Port Cream Sauce
Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
Chocolate Truffle Tarts with Kahlua Whipped Cream & Chocolate Shards
Everything on this menu was hand chopped, reduced, roasted, pureed, piped, whipped, baked, whirled, uncorked or loved. Do you know where or how your last meal was prepared? Was it thawed, opened, pre-packaged, out dated, bland, overcooked, or just plain unloved? Think about that next time you hire a caterer. Cheers everyone!
Great with bourbon!!
Potatoes should be prepared with fresh cream, butter and freshly roasted garlic, not from a box or frozen (yes, they actually make/sell these "potato" like substances).
Pork should be fresh, no exceptions! Rosemary should be chopped fresh, not come with questionable shelf life.
Vegetables should be peeled, chopped, roasted and served within hours, not purchased frozen or pre-packaged.
Cream should be whipped, not squirted!